Transfer system for freight-terminals.



B. F. FITCH.

TRANSFER SYSTEM FOR FREIGHT TERMINALS. APPLICATION FILED FEB.12,19II.

1,27'5,145. Patented Aug. 6, 1918;

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IS VENTO (BY L I Arrxs B. F. FITCH.

TRANSFER SYSTEM FOR FREIGHT TERMINALS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. I2. 1917.

1,275,145. Patented Aug. 6,'1918 SHEET 2.

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B. F. FITCH.

TRANSFER SYSTEM FOR FREIGHT TERMINALS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 12. 1917.

1,275,145. Patented Aug. 6,1918.

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F. FITCH.

TRANSFER SYSTEM FOR FREIGHT TERMINALS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 12. 1917.

1,275 1 45. I Patented Aug. 6, 1918,

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TRANSFER SYSTEM FOR FREIGHT TERMINALS.

APPLICATWN FILED FEB-12.1917- I 1,275,145.

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APPUCATION FILED FEB. I2. 1917- Patented Aug. 6, 1918.;

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TRANSFER SYSTEM FOR FREIGHT TERMINALS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. l2. 19]?- 1,275,145. Patented Aug. 6, 19m

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azz/5117202 B. F. FITCH.

TRANSFER SYSTEM FOR FREIGHT TERMINALS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 12. I9II 1 ,275, 1 45 Patented Aug. (3, 1918,.

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, UNITED STATES- ornron BENJAMIN I.

TRANSEERSYSTEM FOB FREIGHT-TERMINALS.

To all whom it may concern:

and State of Illinois, have invented anew and useful Improvement in Transfer Systems for F might-Terminals, 'of whichthe following is a full, clear, and exact; description, reference beingha d to the accompany ing drawings.

In the transportation of package freight, involving less than carload lots-to any destination (commonly called, L. C. L. package freight) it is necessary at one or more in termediate points on the route of the freight to break bulk and remove some or all of the freight from the cars containing 1t, and transfer it to sub-stations or to other cars for forwarding line movement. In accom plishing this, the prevailing operatlng practice is, after the cars have arrived at freight terminals, or transfer or break-bulk points, to truck the freight from such cars over the station or transfer platforms to cars spotted on the same-or ad acent rails, or sometimes to truck thefreight from the receiving cars to the station floors and agaln truck it to transfer cars. --These transfer cars are destined either to terminal stations at other points on the receiving line or to sub-stations in the same terminal territory,

or through yard clearance to terminal stations or transfer platforms of forwarding lines, for similar rehandling into their.

destination cars or break-bulk cars.

Since freight stations are ordinarily operated forconvemence of consignee and consignor on a single shift, day schedules are arranged for early AI M. arrival of trains on their inbound movement and P. M. departure on their outbound movement. .This usually requiresthe spotting or placing 'of the transfer or trap cars at platforms before morning arrival of freight house men to perform the unloading operation. As such unloading generally occupies the working day it prevents the trap or transfercars on their outbound -or switch, movement from being switched and pulled from the freight house, or transfer platform, until the operatlon of checking, unloading, trucking and loading 1s completed in all cars. This results in night switching of such cars for the following days'delivery and spotting or placing at :Specifiea;tion of Letters Patent. Application filed' rebrnai-yiawml'r. semi No.4485075.

substation platforms of'the same roadi, or

platforms of the forwarding line.

Moreover, since freight at out-bound platformsfof all freight houses during the station Working day is received from conslgneesfor loading into the trap or trans fer cars and break bulk point cars, which ri'rcn, or EvAns'roN, I LLmoIs, ASSIGNOR 'r'o' THE moron mim mans comrnm, or CLEVELAND, 01110, A oonronn'non or onto,

Patented Au ie, 191s. a

are of necessity interspersed on rails adjacent to the platform in the station makeup,

the switching of both inbound and outbound cars is delayed until receiving, checking,

trucking, loading and stowing of freight. is;

gompleted at end of the station operating As a result, freight aotuallyiarriving at terminal stations or transfer points in the early morning hours of the first day is moved the current night, in the trap cars to which it has been transferred, to sub-stations for delivery to consignee the second day, or to forwarding lines for similar -rehandling into their destination cars. The reverse movement being the same, consignee and consignors, receiving and delivering freight from and ,to the'outlying stations,

.of any large city orterminal point, sufler at least a twenty-four hour delay, and. all

freight to forwarding lines in its through routing, a thirty-six hour delay.

On account of terminaltrackage congestion, this delay between stations is frequently indefinitely prolonged and resultingly accumulative. This condition is largely responsible for existing terminal freight congestion at allpoints, and accounts for the slow movement of through freight. Such delayed freight, either in cars alongsidethe station platforms or i /terminal freight yards, occupies the most valuable realty of any railway system, and frequently such terminal facilities could onlybe increased at prohibitive cost. To do away with the delay incident to this intracity or forwarding line transfer, as

well as to reduce the expense of the transfer, I have conceived a plan whereby the L. C. L. package freight, arriving at inboundor outbound platforms of terminal stationsor at transfer platforms, may be immediately loaded direct from car into automobile trucks and transferred over the city streets to the destined substation, or forwarding line platforms, and vice versa. Thus itreaches destination a short time after the unloading of breakbulk point cars.

tination station or transfer platform being' likewise equipped with trolley hoisting mechanism the arriving loaded body may be c at once removed from'the truck and spotted for unloading, and the truck frame thus freed to-receive and transport a new loaded body.

In applying my transfersystem Ijmay utilize so much of anexisting freight terminal, station or transfer platform as provides rails, one or more platforms parallel therewith on a hand-trucking level with floors of the freight cars on rails, and a space for vehicles on the opposite side of the platform. With such existin facilities I arrange trolley hoists on trac s which extend over a vehicle space or runway, which will accommodate motor trucks. The'trolley tracks are preferably arranged in pairs and the hoisting mechanism thereon is arranged to raise twolift chains, so that each removable truck body may be supported at points corresponding to its four corners.

Ordinarily, I prefer to extend the various itrolley tracks at right angles to the station platform, over a parallel runway, and, in

40 such an installation, the removable bodies supported by the difierent trolley hoists may be suspended in a row along the automobile side of the freight platform. A Each trolley trackway may sometimes be provided with a second set of hoisting mechanism, so that when an automobile truck with either an empty or loaded body comes into the automobile driveway, the body may be lifted therefrom and transferred away from thedriving frame of the motor truck by one set of hoists, and a loaded body may be moved onto the standin motor truck chassis by the other set of hoists. Then, after the truck I has moved away with its load, the newly received' body may be trolleyed over adjacent to the platform to be unloaded, if filled, and reloaded.

To increase the flexibility of the system,

I prefer to extend the trolley tracks transversely over all or a portion of the freight platform, and to provide each movable body with small Wheels, whereby it may be readily rolled on the station platform by hand or any suitable'power mechanism. By this means the body can be lifted onto the plating distance, or, it may be rolled longitudi- -nally on the platform beneath. another trolley trackway. This provision renders the available. space and trolley equipment more adaptable for the varying conditions of freight movement or in the arrival and departure of the automobile trucks, thereby preventing congestion at any one point on the platform. v

My invention, including the method of transferring freight above referred to and apparatus for carrying it. out, is hereinafter more fully described in connection with illustrated freight terminals and stations.

As shown in the drawings, it ofi'ers opportunity for appllcatlon in various Ways, as

-may be made necessary by station locations in relation tov streets, andconstruction of such stations. 'In the following description various features will be explained which contribute tothe efiiciency of the general system as above outlined.- While the specific embodiment is comprised within my invention, I do not intend to limit myself to such embodiment, as the particular ar-' I formand then moved into juxtaposition to a freight car door for direct unloading of large lots, thusshortening thehand-truclb' rangement of freight houses will vary with local conditions. The essential characteristics of my invention are summarized in the claims appended hereto.

In the drawings, Figure- 1 is a diagrammatic plan illustrating. my transfer system as applied to several track-terminals and one off-track terminal. This figure illustrates at the different terminals various arrangements of the platform and trolley vhoists. Figs. 2, 3 andt are plans illustratingthe terminal stations designated A, B and C respectlvely, in Fig. 1; Figs. 5, 6 and i: are cross sectlons of the stations A, B and (J respectively; Fig. 8 is a side elevation of 1 one of the automobile trucks with a removable body, together with the trolley hoists for raising and transporting the latter; Fig. 9 is a plan of such truck with the body in place; Fig. 10 is abottom plan of the body; Fig. 11 is an enlarged end view of the truck with the body raised above the truck frame bymeans of the trolley hoists; Fig. 12 is a sectional end view of a trolley hoistingmechanism, asindicated on, the line 1212 of Fig. 11 Fig. 13 is a side elevation of a portion ofthetrolley hoisting mechanism shown in Fig. 12; Fig. 14 is a detail illustrating the racking mechanism on the trolley, this view being a sectional elevation on the line designated 14 in Fig. 12. I In Fig. 1 of the drawings, I have illustrated four track freight-houses, A, B, D and E, and one off-track terminal designated C. The stations A and E are illustrated as being on the A & E Railroad. Station B is supposed to be on the B & B

Railroad, and station D on the D &D

Railroad. A belt-line is illustrated as con- T indi cates a telephone exchange which is shown necting with different railroads.

as located at the off-track terminal C. From this exchange, private telephone lines extend to each freight terminal. The broken lines bearing the legend Truck route indicate city streets or roads along which the automobile trucks may conveniently travel from any station to any other.' I

The stations shown in thisview difl'er specifically from each other and therefore will be specifically described hereinafter. Each station, however, illustrates the general principle involved in the invention. The trolley hoisting mechanism is the same at each station, and it will be convenient to describe it in connection with the description of first station; then I will follow witha brief description of each of the other staway, designated 14. The supports for the trolley hoists are shown as girders, or I- beams 15, extending over the vehicle runway and the adjacent portion of the platform, at right angles to the platform. These girders are shown as supported by the posts 12 at their inner ends, and at their outer ends by posts 16." On the girders are suitable trolley hoists 17 adapted to support retruck movable truck bodies 18. 19 indicates the proper or chassis for carrying the bodies.

The I-beam trackways 15, in this installation, are arranged in pairs, and on each trackway are a pair oftrolley hoists 17, each of which has two lift hooks carried by two laterally spaced lift, chalns. There is thus provided for each loadin or unloading position on the vehicle sideiat least four lift chains adapted to engage he truck body atpoints corresponding to its four corners,

whereby the body may be efliciently supported, as well as raised and lowered.

Fdrflconvnient shifting of-the bodies, I

prefer to provide at least two of these twin hoisting mechanisms for each I-beam, as shown in the drawmg. This enables the sijmultaneous support of two automobile bodstood from the description of the general ies, and the shifting of one bodyfromthe truck proper, and the placing of another body thereon. This will be better underoperation, following the description of the hoisting mechanlsm shown.

Referring more particularly. to Figs. 8

to E. Y. Moore.

the twin-hook trolley hoists -17 comprises two supporting trolleys 20 and 21, tracking on the I-beam 15, a beam 22 supported bythese trolleys, a power mechamsm 23 supported by the beam, a shaft 24 supported.

by the beam and adapted to be rotated by the power mechanism, pocket wheels 25 and 26 on the shaft, and lift chains 27 and '28 extending over the pocket wheels. As shownthe lift chains carry movable pulleys 29 which support the-.h0oks'30, the end of the chain being anchored to the'support and 'de- I pendlng in a loop through the movable pulley. Each hook 30 is shown as supporting a single chain 31 terminating in a hook 32 which engages an eye 58 in a floor beam 59 secured to and supporting the removabl truck body 18, hereinafter described.

Such a structure as described provides two lift chains raised or lowered as a unit and adapted to engage the oppositeends of the a transverse body-beam 59 and support the removable body at that end, and raise or lower it, as desired.

It is convenient and eflicient to make the beam 22 of the traveling hoist 'mechani'sni in the form of a horizontal channel bar with downwardly extending flanges. Two bearing blocks 34 for the shaft 24 are shown as extending within the flanges of the channel and secured thereto by bolts 35. Each bearand 11 to 14, it will be seen that each of ing block has a removable bearing cap which may be held by thesame bolts.

The'power mechanism for rotating the shaft may be of any suit-able form. I have shown for this purpose what is known as,a Cyclone hoist, except that in place of the usual support hook the frame is secured directly to the channel beam, and in place of the usual lift wheel, the shaft 36 (Fig.

11) therefor extends through the frame in alinement with the shaft 24, and is connected with it by adental coupling. 37,

allowing someplay and preventing binding of the shaft in its bearings.

The construction of the Cyclone hoist whichis 'employed as the power mechanism, is described and claimed in Patents Nos. 757,333 of April 12, 1904; 794,997 of July 18, 1903, and 946,253 of January 11, 1910, For the purpose of the present invention, however, it is only necessary that. this power mechanism provide efficient means for-transmitting the rotation of a-hand wheel 38, at much reduced speed and correspondingly increasedpower, to the shaft 24. Asjuitable hand chain 39 extends over this hand wheel and thus furnishes the means by which the movable pulleys 29 are raised or lowered.

Each of the trolleys 20 or 21, which support ,the beam 22 of the. twin-hook hoist. consists of four wheels 40, tracking onthe I-beam, and a suitable frame carrying such Wheels and extending from the outer sides thereof downwardly and meeting beneath the I-beam. This frame is shown as connected by a pivot 42 with a bracket 4:3, bolted Q trolleys;

6 the wheels of both trolleys.

to the upper side of the] channel bar 22.

Preferably the same bolts which secure the. bearing brackets 35 and their caps to the.

beam on its under side secure the beam tothese upper'brackets 43. The pivotal connection'between the trolleys and the frame of the twin hoist prevents strains due to any irregularities in the trackway, and insures the 'tWin-hookhoist being supported by all To mechanically shift the hoist in and out, or rack it, as it is termed, to transfer the supported truck body laterally, I adopt.

meansfor rotating wheels of one of the As shown, the trolley nearest the power inechanism23 has two of its wheels on the same side provided with gear teeth 45, Figs. 12.14.These teeth mesh with a 1 pinion 46 on a shaft 47 journaled in the trolley frame and provided on its outer'end with "a hand wheel 48. A hand chain 49 running over this hand wheel furnishes convenient means for rotating the hand wheel andthcreby rotating the two wheels geared with it, thus causing the whole hoist, to

travelin or out on the I-beam, as desired.

The above described construction of twinhook trolley hoist is the invention of Mr. .E.

i Y. Moore, and W111 be claimed in an application to be filed by him. As far as my 1njvention is concerned it is'to be deemed illustrative of any dual trolle hoist adapted to travel as a unit on an I- cam and provide two laterally spaced lift chains operating simultaneously.

It will be seen that by the construction described, employing twin-hook hoists on two adjacent I-beams, I may support the body of an automobile truck at four points, and raise or lower that body. In the oper-' ation of my system, empty truck bodies are thus each supported by two of the twinhook hoists on the vehicle side of the platform. When such truck bodies have been truck frame loaded, they are, by the aid of the trolley hoists, mounted on the truck frames and driven away. This may be accomplished by raisingv the loaded body and driving the beneath it and lowering the body into place, or the truck may be driven to a position alongside of the body and the body moved laterally by the racking operation of the trolleys to carry the body over the truck frame. Frequently the operation would be a combination of the raising, racking and lowering.

It shouldbe noted that while the two liftchains on each twin-hook hoist are ra'ised as aunit, the two twin-hook hoists of a pair are entirely independent, both in their raisingand racking movements. The result of emma this is that when a removable body-is engaged either end thereof may be raised or lowered or moved laterally, independently of the other-end. This enables me to turn the body askew or tip it toward either end to allow its ready placement on a motor truck frame which is out of'parallelism with the platform or does not stand level. The same independence of operation enables me to readily remove the truck bodies from such inaccurately positioned motor trucks. Thelatitude thus allowed in'positioning the motor truck is of'importance in enabling rapid operation.

By moving together the two chains at each end, by the. twin-hook hoist described, I insure the proper support for the truck body, and it is impossible to throw an undue strain on any lift chain, such as might result if the four lift chains associated with the body were all operated independently of each other. It will be seen, therefore, that I obtain a very valuable result by combiningunity of operation of the two lift chains associated with the same end of the body,

with independence of operation of the hoisting means for the two ends.

The removable bodies 18- may be greatly.

varied in combination so long as they are adapted to be raised, lowered or trolleyed by the hoisting mechanism described, and i may be conveniently loaded and unloaded. The body illustrated in Figs. 8 toll is deemed satisfactory, however, and will now be described. As shown in these views, 50 indicates the floor of the body supported on transverse beams 51 connected at their ends bylongitudinal members 52. These members 52 have secured to them the brackets 59 to which the chains are connected. Rising from the corners of the floor, and from intermediate positions at the sides, are suitable vertical posts 54: and 55 respectively. These posts are connected above by longitudinal.

vided with a ridge pole 65 supported by inclined bars 66 on the sides. A suitable canvas thrown over this ridge pole provides protection for the goods in wet weather.

The truck 19 is preferably provided with a floor 70 on which the removable body may rest. This floor is shown as supported on ends by the beams 56 and 57 and at- The wall 7 tis interrupted at to allow the body-supporting member 59 to project to the outside. -To accurately position the body on the truck and hold itagainst move* ment thereon, when placed, I provide on the under side .of the body a number of tapered downwardly projecting blocks 67, which are adapted to extend through holes 76 of proper size and positionin the floor. There are also holes or pockets, 78 and 79 in the floor of the stationary truck body to accommodate rollers on the removable bodies (hereinafter referred to), so that such bodies rest flush on the stationary truck body.

Asheretofore stated, it is frequently desirable to rest the bodies on the freightplatform and shift'them longitudinally thereon,

, to clear a certain loading position or bring them beneath other I-beam trackways, or to shift them laterally to spot them directly adjacent to a car door for direct transference of freight. To enable this shifting to be performed conveniently, I proyide each body with rollers or wheels. I have shown two of such rollers 68 at the middle of the longitudinal center of. the body near the sides, and two rollers 69 at intermediate positionsnear-the ends. The side rollers 68 are preferably ordinary wheels mounted on roller bearings, while the ehdrollers are roller bearing casters. 'Thisconstruction enables the, bodyto be shifted on the platform by hand or by the employment of any suitable"tractor or Windlass mechanism, as desired.-

As heretofore referred to, the trolley hoisting mechanism is the same at each of the stations illustrated. The arrangement of the station, however, and the support for the track rails differs with the different installations, Station A has been described. Station B, illustrated in Fig. 1, is shown more fully'in fragmentary plan in; Fig. 3

and in cross section in Fig. 6, and will now be described. I,

Station B has two station platforms 10 and 10", respectively, on a hand-trucking level with freight cars'l)? and 9 on the two mediate automobile runway 14, be a city street. ll indicates a roofwhich may be supported by posts 12 and 12 and extend over the automobile runway. At each side of this roof is shown a shed roof 11 and 11'} supported at the outer edge by posts 12 and 12 respectively.

,a curve to a ous positions within suc At one side of the freight house is shown a pair of I-beams 15 supported by posts 12 and12 and by tie rods 90. This pair of I-beams extends over the platform 10" and out over the vehicle space, as shown in Fig. 7e

6. It is'adapted to support two or more removable bodies 18 over the platform 10 and one body'overhanging the runway, as shown. On the other side of this freight house I have shown I-beam trackways 15 75 extending parallel .with the platform and over it and carried by the transverse girders 91, supported by the posts 12 and 12 These I-beams are adapted to sup-port hoisting twins shiftableilengthwise of the platform 89 and these hoists may. support a removable body 18, which thus extends atright angles to the line of freight cars 9".

The arrangement of this station B enables the arriving truck to-run directly be- 5 neath the overhanging I-beams 15 for the removal 'or placement, of its body, or it can back into the bay where the I-beams 15 are located. In the latter position it will be standing at right angles to the railway track. 90

- In the usual operation of such a station as shown in Fig. 6, one of the platforms is for inbound freight and the other for out- 'bound freight. It .is convenient toth'ave the. automobile traflie onlyin one direction between the platforms, as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 1. If We assume that the platform 10*. is the outbound platform, the driyer arriving with the loaded truck will come into the bay I-beams 15 are located and discharge the loaded body and then will drive forward on point alongside of. the platform 10' beneath the overhanging portion of the I-beams 15*, where a loaded body may be trolleyed from over the platform beyond the edge thereof and there deposited on the truck frame for immediate despatch. In this in-- stallation the. surplus bodies trolleyed back over the platform 10 or along the platform 10", may be lowered onto the platform and rolled out of the way, by reason of the Wheel supports of the body, before referred to. The arrangement described for-station B is convenient for a terminal wherethe rail-,

road track is depressed below the street level;

' and one of the platforms is on the samelevel with the street. In such an installation there is liable to be freight standing in vaninland? terminal, arranged to receive freight from shippers and deliver freight to consignees, and equipped with my trolley hoist-ing features to efiiciently cooperate as a unit in my transfer system.

Referring particularly to F igs. 1, 4 and 7, 13,0

where the longitudinal 100 street as it is.120

it will be seen that the freight house C comprises an outbound platform 10, an inbound their ends.

platform -10, with an automobile runway li between them, and team space 6 and 6 onthe outer sides of the two platforms. The platforms are preferably of the saw tooth type, arranged to accommodate a large number of vehicles which drive in a definite direction in' the team traflicway and back into the saw-tooth bays, enabling ready "loading or unloading at the rear or side of the vehicle. at 5, Fig.4.

Extending across numerous I-beams One such vehicleis illustrated the vehicle space 14 are 15, arranged in pairs.

These I-beams carry twin-hook hoistsv which V received from other stations and the consignee isnot ready to receive t,

a removable body containing 1t may be simply rolled on the platformJO to 0ne 0f the elevators, in-

dicated at 95, and'raised to another floor for I This off-track terminal is shown storage.

' as provided with inclosing walls 92, and

nations in outlying territory.

may have various floors, as indicated at 93 and 94, above the platforms and over the automobile runway. i

. The possibility of using oneor more offtrack terminals in my transfer system is one of its valuable features, as will be seen from the following considerations. Railroads in the past have invested enormous sums for rights of way and terminal realty in all large cities, 'toprovide freight stations located, as conveniently for shippers as the topography and arrangement of the city would allow. This has been with-a view to providinga short haul from the shipper to the railroad terminal. One result, however, has been to make the territory in the immediate vicinity so valuable that the railroad cannot afford to expand at that terminal when congestion demands it. The resultant high prices of the adjacent land has also driven manufacturers and others to seek 10- By my system of an off-track terminal, the railroad may expand as much as necessary without either acquiring expensive realty adjacent to its .own terminalsorpurchasing an expensive right of way, in a city to a new terminal. Furthermore, my off-track termiceived by the consignee,

nals may be located in very convenient spots where grades and other conditions make it practically impossible for a railroad track to be laid. By combining this off-track terminal with a storage ware-house, great conven: ience is provided both for the railroad and for shippers, and the storage charges provide considerable revenue for the railroad.

In the operation of the off-trackr terminal.

shown in Figs. 4 and 7, it is proposed that the outbound platform have empty, bodies suspended on its hoistsmext to the inner edge or truck driveway for the full length of the platform, the platform level. As the wagons with freight to be shipped enter the team trackway 6, in the direction of the-arrows, they can back with the least possible delay into empty saw-tooth'pockets and unload their freight, which may be hand-trucked, as indicated by the direct'on lines in Fig. 4,

direct to the bodies assigned to the different freight stations comprised within the system.

In the meantime, at the various railroad track terminals, freight arriving from freight cars has been installed in removable bodies which are loaded and hauled "to the off-track terminal. Now, as. the loaded the floors of these bodies being on a truck enters the central portion of the oiftrack te minal shown, -it proceeds to some location pposite a point where no removablebody is suspended adjacent to the inbound platform. The chains of head hoists are then hooked onto the body which is on the truck and the same is moved to the edge of'the inbound platform for unloading, and a loaded body is shifted laterally-from the outbound platform over the truck, and'the latter proceeds to the railway terminal designated byfthe billing of the freight contained in the newly placed body.

7 Now, the consignors wagon or truck which has discharged its load in a saw-tooth pocket of the outbound platform, may drive out of. the station and, follow the line of traiiic and enter the team traflic way 6", back up into one of the pockets of the inbound platform and receive freight destined for such consignee. j I

Whenever freight received at the oil'- track terminal cannot be conveniently rethe body it occuor another body to which it is transpies,

the overferred, is simply raised to the platform,

rolled,on the platform to the elevator, and

- stored until the f consignee is ready to receive the freight;

In the normal operation of my off-track iterminal the newly received freight bodies,

after being unloadedat the inbound-platform, will be simply trolleyedacross to the outbound, platform to receive a fresh load. However, process at theinboundplatform will not balance intimeduration with the loading at as may often occur, the unloadingthe outbound platform. This difference is readily relieved by rolling the empty bodles along the inbound platform b'eneathavailable pairs of I-beams by'which they may be trolleyed over against 'the outbound platform. I i

The-off-track terminal illustrated in Flgs.

' i and 'l and above described, is one of the component units in the transfer system claimed herein. This terminal freight house is also individually an invention of mine, and may be specifically claimed in an ap- I. plication to be filed hereafter.

Fig. 1 of. the'drawings shows stations D and E specifically different from any of which havev been described, but which are not deemed to need more detailed showing. Station D is designed where there is width in the automobile runway 14 for only two truck bodies. The I-beam trackways 15 extend over this automobile runway and over i a. portion of the platform 10. This enables the convenient shifting of the loaded and empty bodies to either side of the automobile truck which stands adjacent to the platform.

In the small station shownat E, the'auto mobile runway 14 is only wide enough for a single truck. The l beams 15 extend over i the platformJtO and over the driveway, and

' sary.

congestion is prevented by rolling the removable bodies on the platform when neces- Having described the characteristics of the embodiment ofmy invention as illus' trated, I'will now explain atypical operation thereof, with reference particularly to Figs. 1, 2 and 5; Suppose a train of freight .cars arrives at the terminal station A, and

each car contains package freight for various destinations. 'Various" empty automobile bodies 18 areisupported each by a pair of adjacent twin hoists along the opposite sideof the platform. We will suppose that each of these bodiesis destined for 'a different, terminal. Now package freight is removed from each of the cars 9 and from every car some freight is taken by hand trucking (indicated by the trucks 7), to the first body 18,'some to the second body, some to the'thirdbody,'and so on.

As soon as a truck body is loaded 1t 15 ready to be deposited on a 'truckproper and then carried to its destination. -We will suppose that this is the condition of the second body 18. Now a loaded truck arrives from another station and its driver is stopped with the truck opposite the second v body. .The body of the arriving truck, which may also be loaded, is now lifted from the truck fram'eby the operation of the hois'ts,'and is, moved to. idle position away from the frame, and remains" suspended at the distant side of the vehicle runway, as indicated at 18 in Fig. 2, while the loaded body is racked over the truck frame side by side. This makes a very eflicient installation. Many-of theadvantag'es, how ever,-=may' be obtained by a runway wide enough only for two bodies, or even one body, the platform in such case being used more frequently to support bodies, which are rolled thereon longitudinally of the platform when required. This is illustrated, by the stations D and E in Fig. 1.

It will be understood from the above that the particular shifting for accomplishing loading and unloading varies with different installations, but the principle is maintained of removing the incoming bodies from the trucks as soon-as they arrive, and

depositing loaded bodies as soon as availi ableon the frames of the trucks which have come in. here is thus maintained a continuous des atch of freight from each'transfer station to all the others covered by the system.

By my system, the freight arriving at a I terminal point for transfer to sub-stations,

or to forwarding line terminal station, or

transfer-platform, is subject only to the delay of lmmediate checking, direct trucking, and storage: into these removable .truck bodies, 'plus the placing of such bodies on arriving motor trucks. The frequency of such truck arrival and departure is flexible, and'may be accommodated to the volume of tonnagefand the interchange conditions, being readily and effectively controlledby a despatcher havin telephone communication with each fre ght house and transfer platform.

In this system, the standing or loading time of the motor trucks is minimized to the last degree, and theycan be constantly employed in profitable day servicein shuttle movement over the city streets, as often as the removable body loads may demand. By

-' replacing thepresent 1 restricted nightly movement by rail transfer by continuous 'day movement by motor trucks, 1 effect a time economy practically equivalent to j twenty-four hours at each terminal or trans fer point in the movement of freight, I accomplish the transfer at a less expense than by rail,.and I release the now employed freight cars and station and terminal yard rails for the make-up and movement of more profitable main line freight cars.

' it upon transporting means,

. age to another station,

comprises conveying cars and assembling 1t in a u'n1t package or" Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. The process of transferring freight from one station to another, which comprises conveying freight from railway cars and assembling it in a unit package or mass, hoisting the package and depositing it upon transporting means, transporting the packhoisting 1t from the transporting means, and dispersing the con-' tents.

2. The process of transferring freight from one city station to another, which freight from railway mass, hoisting the package and depositing transporting the package over city streets to another station, hoisting it from-the transporting means, and dispersing the contents to other railway cars.

3. The method of transferring freight,

comprising transporting it from various railway cars across a platform, assembling it in a unit package, laterally shifting the package and lowering it onto a'transp orting device adapted to travel in city streets, transferri'ng the package by means of said transporting device to another station, hoisting the package from the transporting device,

and dispersing cars.

the contents to other railway 4. The' method of transferring freight,

comprising transporting it from various it into a unit package,

. means; and subsequently unloading the corn runway ad form, a truck adapted to railway cars across a laterally shifting the package and lowering 1t onto a'transporting device, transporting the package by means of v said transporting devlce to another station, hoisting the package from the transporting device, and dispersing the contents.

5. The method oftransferring freight, comprising transporting it from various railway cars across an adjacent platform, assembling it into a carrier suspended at another edge of the platform, then hoisting'the carrier and depositing it upon. transporting means adapted to travel in city streets,-

track adjacent to'one edge thereof, an autothe platform,

neath the bodies,- and platform, assembling a railway mobilerunway on the opposite side of the at/awe mobile runway-adjacent to another edge of a truck adapted to operate in the runway, a plurality of removable bodies for such truck, overhead mechanism for lifting a body from the truck and movingit onto the platform, and wheels on said body whereby it may be rolled into a different position on the platform:

8. In a freight transfer system, the combination of a raised platform, a freight track on one side thereof, a set of inter-- changeable bodies, means for suspendingthem along the edge of the platform onthe other side from the runway below such truck adapted to drive in such runway bemechanism for operating the suspendedmeans to raise and lower the selected body from and onto the truck and for transporting it platform. 1

freight track, a vehicle suspended bodies, and a onto and from the 9. In an apparatus for transferring freight, the combination of a platform, a

railway track along one edge thereof, ,an

automobile runway, a truck'adapted to opcrate in said runway, a plurality of remov;

able bodies, adapted to 'be interchangeably mounted on said truck, and hoisting means for the body'having provision for raising the body from thetruck and lowering it onto the truck and enabling it to be swung-horizontally into various positions at an'angle to'the edge of the platform.

.10. In anapparatus .for

transferring freight, the combination of a platform, a

railway. track along automobile runway, a truck adapted to operate in said runway, a plurality of removable bodies, adapted to be interchangeably mounted on said truck, and trolley hoisting mechanism having provision for raising and lowering the body and moving one edge thereof, an i it onto and off of the platform, said mechanism being arranged ;to enable the swinging of the suspended body horizontally .into various positions at an angle to the edge of the platform.

' 11 The combination of a raised platform,

a railway track on one side thereof, an automobile runway on the opposite side of the platform, atruck adapted to operate in-the runway, a plurality of removable and interchangeable bodies for the truck, and overhead mechanism adapted to lift' a removtruck and suspend it along able body from a andover the runway with the platform ed e the floor of the ody substantially on a level with the platform.

.12. The combinatlon ofa r'aisedplatform,

track on one side thereof, an autoplatform, a truck adapted to operate in the runway, a plurality of removable and interchangeable bodies for the truck, mechapism emma adapted to lift a removable body from a truck and support it with its floor substantiallyon a-level'with the platform, or raise it .higher than the platform, said removable bodies having wheels at their bases adapted to s'u port the truck on the platform and enable hem to be rolled thereon.

' both the platform and the runway, a trolley 13. In an apparatusffor transferring I freight, the combination of a platform, a l 10 railway track along one side'theieof, an

automobile runway along the opposite side thereof, a trolley trackway extending over automobile runway along the opposite side thereof, a trolley trackway extending over boththe platform and the runway, a trolley hoist on said trackway, an automobile truck adapted to operate inthe runway, and a plurality of removable and .interchangeable bodies adapted to be carried by the truck and to be raised and transported over the platform by the trolley hoist, each truck body having wheels in its base by which it may be supported on the platform and rolled longitudinally thereon.

15. In an apparatus for transferringfreight, the combination of a platform, a railway trackalong one side thereof, an automobile runway along the opposite side thereof, a pair-of parallel trolley trackways extending over both the platform and the runway, trolley hoist mechanism on each of said trolley trackways, an automobile truck adapted to operate in the runway, a plurality of removable and interchangeable bodies adapted to be carried by the truck, and means whereby the hoist mechanisms may engage said bodies on opposite sides of the center and transport them over the platform.

16. A transfer system for freight terminals comprising a plurality of stations each having a platform, an adjacent automobile runway, a trolley trackway extending over the runway, and trolley hoisting mechanism on the trackway, combined with a motor truck, and a plurality of removable and interchangeable bodies for said truck adapted to be supportedand transported by said trolley hoisting mechanism, said trolley trackway extending for a distance at least twice the width of a removable body whereby a removable body may be trolleyed out of the way of a truck.

17. In a transfer system for freight termihas, a, combination with a plurality of stations each having a platform and an automobile runway, a railroad track. associated with at least one of said stations and adapted'to carry freight cars on a handtrucking level With the platform thereof,.'a

m'ot0r @truck adapted to travel between the stations, a plurality of removablefbodies" therefor, and mechanism at each station for raising said bodies and moving them from sald truck onto the platform and vice versa.

'18, A transfer system for freight terminals-comprising a plurality of stations each alongside of'the same, an automobile runway adjacent to the other side of the track, a supporting trackway fora trolley hoist extending over such runway and extended far enough to enable a body to be .trolleyed freefrom a truck at the platform edge, and trolley hoisting mechanism on such supporting trackway, combined with a motor truck and a set of interchangeable bodies thereforadapted to be supported and shifted by (said trolley hoisting mechanism.

19. In a freight transfer'system, the combination with a plurality of stations each provided with a freight platform and an adjacent automobile runway, a trolley hoist, a supportingtrackway for said hoist associated with said station and extending above the platform and above the runway, a motor truck, and a plurality of removable bodies therefor adapted to be supported and transported by said trolley hoist.

2-0. A transfer system for freight terminals comprising a plurality of stations each 21. The combination, with a plurality of stations each having a freight platform and a railway track on one side thereof and an automobile runway on the-other side, of a set of removable truck bodies,' tr.olley hoisting mechanism extending overthe platform and over the runway and adapted to raise and support the bodies, and a truck adapted to stand on the runway and receive and transport any of the bodies.

-having a freight platform, a railroad track" 22. Ina freight transfer system, a plurality of stations each having a freight platform and a set of trolley trackways extending at right angles to the platform and arranged in pairs, there being space beneath such trackways for automobile trucks, and trolley hoists on the trackways combined with an automobile truck and a setof removable bodies each adapted to be supported and shifted by the trolley hoists on apair of said trackways.

23. The combination with a plurality of freight stations, each having a platform" and an automobile runway and a pair of supporting trolley trackways extending above the runway,-a pairof mutually independent dual hoists mounted on said trackways respectively, a motor truck, and a plurality of removable. bodies therefor eadh.

adapted to be supported by the four lifting members of said pair of dual hoists.

' form, of apair of trolley trackways extend- .ing at right angles thereto and above a space for vehicles, independent hoisting devlces on said trackways, respectively, each hoisting device having two 'flexiblevlifting members and means for operating them as a unit, and a set of removable bodi s pro-- 'vided with means adjacent to their corners whereby they may be engaged and lifted by such four flexible members. 1

25. The combination with a station plat- 1 form, of trolley trackways overhanging an adjacent space and 'arrangedin pairs, a set of removable truck bodies of a length somewhat greater than the distance between the trackways of a pair, and trolley hoists on said'trackways adapted to engage the removable bodies on both sides and adjacent to their ends.

26. The combination with a station platform, of trolley trackways at right angles to the platform arranged in pairs, 'an automobile truck, a set of removable and inter changeable bodies therefor, and trolley hoists on said trackways, each hoist being provided with two lifting members raisable as a unit and adapted to engage opposite sides of the removable body adjacent to one end thereof.

27. The combination with aplatform and an adjacent automobile runway; of-supporting trolley trackways arranged in pairs'and adapted to extend from above the platform over the automobile runway, a twin-hook hoist on each trackway, a motor truck, and a plurality of removable bodies therefor each adapted to be supported by the four lifting members of said pair of twin-hook hoists, and vmeans for moving each twin hook hoist as a unit laterally on its trackway. 4 i

28. In a freight transfer system, the combination with a platform having an adjacent automobile runway, of a motor truck adapted to stand in said runway and a set of removable interchangeable truck bodies, and

mechanism to engage said bodies at four points respectively and raise, 'lower and transport the bodies, said mechanisms being 24: The combination with a freight plat- H aw-,me

arranged in pairs operating independently of each other and eachpair having two membersengaging the body and operatlng as a unit.

29.' In a freight transfer system, the rombination with a'fplatform and an automobile runway, of a pair of overhead trolley trackways overhanging the runway, a truck having a removable body adapted to stand beneat-h such trackways, a hoisting mechanism of lifting members adapted to engage; said removable body, and means whereby the two lifting members which engage the same end of a body may be raised and lowered and transported laterally as a unit while the lifting members which engage the different ends of the body 'may be operated independently of each other. v

30. In a freight transfer System-,the combination of a raised platform, a vehicle run I on each trackway each provided with a pair J! 5 way alongside thereof, a pair, of trolley trackways extending from the platform over the runway, and a' dual hoist on each trolley trackway', each hoist comprising a frame,

trolleys supporting it, two lift wheels carried by the frame, lift chains running 'from the lift wheels, means for operating the lift wheels concurrently, each of said ,hoist frames being shiftable independent of the other .to enable ready engagement at four points with a vehicle body out of parallel:

.ism with the platform.

hanging the runway and a portioni'of the platform, hoisting mechanisms on'each trackway, each provided with twos'flexible lift members operated as a unit, a set oi removable interchangeable truckbodies each provided with means for engagement with the four liftmembers of thetwo airs of hoists and each having'rollers' inrits base whereby it may be rolled on the platform after being deposited" thereon by the trolley hoisting mechanism.

33. In an apparatus 1 for transferring freight betweendistant-railway cars," the combination of two railway platforms, railroad tracks each adjacent to one' edge of one of the platforms, -a "set of "removable automobile bodies, means for suspending the bodies adjacent to another edge of each loaded body through the instrumentality of of said platforms, comprising trolley hoistthe trolley hoisting mechanism at either staing mechanism associated with each railway tionand transport it to the other. 10 station, means for trucking the freight In testimony whereof, I hereunto aflix my a) across-the platform from the-railway cars signature.

to the removable bodies and vice versa, and

an. automobile truck adapted to receive a BENJAMIN F. FITCH. 

